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WINING AND DINING IN THE BLACK The holiday season is a great time to unite and celebrate with friends, family and colleagues. It is a time to indulge and imbibe, perhaps wearing that shiny dress or fun tie that only seems appropriate during a few weeks of the year. These activities, unfortunately, can often put the ol’ bank account in the red. Those $ 15 candle sets you buy for work gift exchanges start to add up to a whole lot of broke.
But fear not! There are ways of getting through the celebrations without crippling the rest of your winter budget. You may party hard, as long as you party smart.
The smartest way to avoid a holiday hiccup in your party budget this year: adopt a creatively frugal approach to each party that you attend. The solution for those pricey weeks of holiday cheer is quite simple— limit your wine budget to bottles ranging from $ 12.00 to $ 20.00. Ask any of the wine experts at Banville & Jones for their recommendation— there are lots of great options at these price points.
When going out becomes a strain, host an event for your family and friends. Invite each guest to bring
their favourite dish, and throw out a challenge for the best appetizer and wine pairing under $ 20.00. For added creativity, ask guests to theme their pairings by wine region. For example, an Italian Bruschetta with a great Sangiovese; or baked brie with a soft French Viognier. All the Banville & Jones staff need to know is what you are serving, and what you like, and they can help find the perfect match.
If you are feeling especially eager to find new wines, ask our wine experts to recommend two or three affordable wines, give you a run down on each, and you can host your very own wine tasting— a classy event that doesn’ t have to break your budget.
Wining and dining in the black can be a reality for you this season. Who knows? It might even spice up your social calendar at the same time.
Until next time, happy holidays to you, and to your pocketbook. � we recommend
Holiday hosting duties can be a pricy affair. You should always have a little something on hand to offer invited or drop-in guests, but it gets expensive to continually replenish the wine rack. You can keep your budget in check and be a stellar host with Similkameen Superior NV Red or White. These wines come in airtight packaging so you have a steady supply to offer guests right through the holiday season.
This BC wine is available at Banville & Jones in two sizes. The 1.5 litre size is only $ 13.99( equivalent to 2 regular 750ml bottles of wine). If you want it to last right into the new year, splurge and grab the 4 litre size for $ 33.99( that works out to roughly $ 6.50 per bottle!). � www. banvilleandjones. com 47